'We the People'

When I got home from work one day last week, my husband said we may need a passport to go visit our daughter in Texas!

Apparently Texas had a petition out to secede from the union, disappointed by Barak Obama being reelected. So, we joked that she would be living in the COUNTRY of Texas if their work succeeded.

Over the next few days, every state had petitions out to secede. How united is that? Crazy.

Everyone has the right to his or her own opinion - it says so right in the First Amendment.

Last year, the Obama administration created a website called We the People (check it out) which provides a new way to petition the administration to take action on issues facing our country. The website was created, the information said, "because we want to hear from you. If a petition gets enough support, White House staff will review it, ensure it's sent to the appropriate policy experts, and issue an official response."

At least 150 signatures must be submitted in order for the petition to be publicly searchable on the We the People tool on WhiteHouse.gov. and 25,000 signatures must be obtained in 30 days from when the petition was created to get a response from the White House. Currently there are several petitions on the site including these:

* Uninstall Obama- meaning remove the president and his policies. (Didn't he just win an election through our democracy? We need to quit whining around and hope the next four years are better.) There are 1,249 signatures on this petition - 23,751 more are needed.

* Create and Approve The Michael Joseph Jackson National Holiday. The signers to this petition appreciated the contributions Michael Jackson made to the world "and it is time that he was recognized for his humanitarian acts." There are 289 signatures - 24,711 more are needed.

* Nationalize the Twinkie industry - "We the undersigned, hereby request Barack Obama to immediately Nationalize the Twinkie industry and prevent our nation from losing her sweet creamy center." There are 3,434 signatures on this petition - 21,566 more are needed.

* I found this petition interesting and even though there were not 25,000 signatures, a response was issued: Release the recipe for the Honey Ale home brewed at the White House. Barack Obama has reportedly bought a home beer brewing kit for the White House kitchen, and 12,240 signees want a taste of the president's personal stash.

In the response, it was stated, "As far as we know the White House Honey Brown Ale is the first alcohol brewed or distilled on the White House grounds." The recipes were included.

* And finally this one: Shut down White House petitions - "We ask Barack Obama to admit that this is a mockery of democratic process and immediately dissolve this joke of a website." 333 signatures - 24,667 more are needed.